Use of a self-expanding vascular occluder for embolization during endovascular aortic aneurysm repair

Repair of aortic aneurysms with use of stent-graft techniques may require occlusion of large branch vessels to prevent back-bleeding into the excluded aneurysmal sac. The authors describe their experience using a self-expanding vascular occluder (SEVO) to occlude flow in branch arteries during aortic stent-grafting.

Eighty-four patients (65 men, 19 women; mean age, 64 years) underwent thoracic (n = 72) or abdominal aortic (n = 12) stent-grafting. Aneurysm repair was performed using nonbifurcated Z stents covered with polyester or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fabric. SEVOs constructed from a Z stent (10-20 mm diameter) and PTFE were deployed through a separate catheter (14-20 F).

Ten of 84 patients required embolization of large branch arteries with use of a SEVO during aortic stent-grafting (thoracic, n = 1; abdominal, n = 9). The SEVO was placed in the common iliac (n = 9) or subclavian artery (n = 1). The mean SEVO diameter was 14.7 mm (range, 10-20 mm). Eight patients undergoing SEVO embolization had immediate thrombosis of the treated artery. One patient required additional embolization with use of conventional coils. No patients had back-bleeding into the aneurysm, device migration, microembolization, or limb ischemia (mean follow-up, 140 days; range, 50-200). All 10 patients had complete thrombosis of the aortic aneurysm.

Use of a novel self-expanding vascular occluding device is a safe and effective supplementary technique to occlude high-flow, large-diameter arterial branch vessels during endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.